Easy Butternut Squash Souffle - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of the souffle? ›

There's only one serious secret to the perfect soufflé and that is careful whisking of the egg whites so they keep their volume and puff to a maximum in the oven. The whites should be at room temperature and you can reckon at least one and a half per person.

To rise properly, soufflés need a heavy, straight-sided vessel with a fluted rim. Uses for these small dishes, also sometimes called ramekins, go far beyond the eggy French classic. “They're perfect for any time you want to construct a charcuterie board or cheese board,” says Gold.

A cup of butternut squash cubes clocks in at about 7 grams of fiber—making a sizable contribution toward the 25 to 30 grams you need per day. “Fiber has many positive health effects, including limiting weight gain, lowering cholesterol levels, and reducing risk of type 2 diabetes,” Willett says.

The rule of thumb is to use one egg per person, so if you're making a soufflé for four, you would use four egg yolks, reserving the whites for later use.

Ensure all your ingredients, especially the eggs, are at room temperature. Do not use cold eggs. Prepare and grease the soufflé dishes before you start making the soufflé mixture. Preheat the oven so once the soufflé is made and in the dish, it can go directly into the oven.

If the egg whites are not mixed enough, they will be too heavy to rise, but if they are over-whipped they will collapse in the oven. Finally, and most problematically, any cross-contamination between yolks and whites will cause the whole concoction to collapse, which is the bane of many dessert chefs' days.

If you want to use a soufflé mold, or a Pyrex measuring cup, for this, you can. You'll just need to toggle the baking time a bit, using visual and tactile clues to check for doneness.

Avoid squash with soft spots, pits, blemishes or mold, or squash with soft rinds, which aren't ripe. Store squash only if it has a stem attached, as stemless squash won't keep well. Use stemless squash immediately.

What happens to your body when you eat butternut squash regularly? ›

Research shows that butternut squash can help reduce your risk of colorectal cancer, in particular. It can help your blood pressure. Butternut squash is high in potassium, which can help keep your blood pressure in check. Managing your blood pressure can reduce your risk for stroke and heart disease.

When taken by mouth: Butternut is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people, but it can cause diarrhea and irritation of the stomach and intestines. Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It's LIKELY UNSAFE to use butternut in large amounts if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. It might stimulate the bowels too much.

In a large bowl mix the cubed squash, garlic cloves and ginger with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix. Season with salt and pepper and scatter in a single layer in a roasting tray. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until tender all the way through.

Digestive Health

Fiber doesn't just help you feel full—it's also a nutrient that promotes gut health. Butternut squash provides a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. Both work together to promote regular bowel movements and keep them soft so they are easier to pass.

Serve your butternut squash with one of these other fall-flavored chicken recipes: Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Apples or Maple Dijon Chicken and Vegetables. Pasta. Round out your favorite pasta recipes from Baked Turkey Meatballs to Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff with this healthy vegetable side.

When the egg mixture is baked in a 350-degree oven, those air bubbles trapped in the egg whites expand, making the souffle rise. The heat also causes the protein to stiffen a bit, and along with the fat from the yolk, it forms a kind of scaffold that keeps the souffle from collapsing.

And here lies the crux of the issue: a proper soufflé is one that creates the most resistance for the steam molecules. The secret to this is to beat the egg whites until they are very stiff, so they create a compact foam that serves as a barrier.

Souffles are a very simple science, the combination of these three scientific facts: egg proteins solidify as they cook; heat turns liquids to gases; and heated gases such as air expand and rise. Think of when you boil a liquid and how bubbles burst up from its surface; so it is with a souffle.

A soufflé is made up of a base (usually white sauce or creme patissiere enriched with egg yolks), a flavor (added to the base) and whipped egg whites gently folded in and baked in the oven. While it's cooking, the air trapped in the egg whites expands, causing it to rise.